Photo by Open Table

I hosted a couple of foodie friends from Florida for my birthday and wanted to take them to brunch in Manhattan but also wanted to pick a restaurant or chef they’d heard of.  Being food reality TV fans, I opted for March Forgione’s namesake Tribeca restaurant as they’d recognize him as the winner of Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef.

The space is cozy and unpretentious – this is clearly done to immediately allow guests to relax and let the foodie journey begin.

Upon being shown to our table, we were offered a Mimosa or Bloody Mary to help get brunch underway.  Both cocktails are $9 each or you can opt for the unlimited $14 deal.  The Mimosa flavor of the day was blood orange and it was fabulous.  The Bloody Mary was perfect: spicy and accompanied by what I consider a mini-antipasto of cheese, olive and charcuterie.

Grits

The brunch options make it difficult to settle on just one entrée.  I opted for the Baked Anson Mills grits with Gruyere cheese, North Country bacon and Feather Ridge Farm eggs ($12) as my entrée.  I loved the look of the dish which appeared innocent with its creamy pale exterior but with baconey goodness throughout and with a perfectly poached egg hiding under the velvety mélange.  The grilled piece of crusty bread accompanying the dish was a great touch and exactly what I needed with the dippy egg.

Eggs Benny

Two of my guests selected the Eggs Benny with butternut squash “homefries”, crispy La Quercia Prosciutto and preserved lemon hollandaise ($14).  The dish looks sexy and tastes even better.  The crispy Prosciutto slice is clever and texturally a winner.

Another member of my party went for it with the Creekstone Ranch prime beef burger on a soft potato bun with aged Cheddar, bacon, caramelized onion, fried egg and Parmesan nugget potatoes ($15).  Who doesn’t like a hamburger with real beefy flavor and a drooly egg on top?

The staff at Marc Forgione is young, energetic, attentive and passionate about the menu and creating an experience for its guests.

I love when a top-rated chef takes my favorite meal, brunch, seriously, and Chef Forgione does.  Well done.

MARC FORGIONE

134 Reade Street New York City 10013

Reservations: 212-941-9401
Hours: Monday–Saturday 5PM–11PM

Sunday 11:30AM – 3:00PM (Brunch) 5PM–9PM (Supper)

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